1. Technical Field
The present application relates to a system for handling and/or treating packaging means and method for the format-compatible adjustment of such a system, a method for adjusting the format or changing-over the format of a system configured to treat, handle, and process containers or groups of containers, and an arrangement therefor.
2. Background Information
The most varied forms of systems for processing and/or handling and/or treating packaging means are known, for example also in the form of machines for cleaning and/or filling and/or closing and/or labeling and/or packing and/or palletizing.
Packaging means in terms of the present application are generally such that are used to accommodate packaged products or liquid products, for example the most varied types of containers, such as, for example, cans, bottles, etc. In addition, packaging means in terms of the present application are also groups or sets of packaging means comprising the most varied types of containers.
A transport section in terms of the present application refers to that section on which the packaging means are moved through the relevant system. Consequently, conveyors of arbitrary design in the respective system and elements of said system that transport the packaging means form part of the transport section, i.e., among other things, also the transport stars of arbitrary design and their associated elements (for example, guide curves, etc.) that are for example to be found in systems for processing containers, but also rotating transport elements or rotors of processing systems and/or handling and/or treating systems and/or processing systems for the most varied types of packaging means. Transport sections in terms of the present application also relate to other conveyors for supplying and discharging the packaging means to and from a system as well as transporting the packaging means between processing machines in a system.
In the beverage industry, containers with different formats are frequently handled in one system, i.e. containers with different exterior dimensions, and/or shapes and/or of different types, etc. In addition, said different containers are also presented in different types of packaging or sets or formats. To adapt a system to these different formats of containers, for example bottles, cans or the like, but also to adapt to different set formats, it is usual to replace entire assemblies of format-dependent function elements or format parts (e.g. guide curves) that interact with the containers or the sets. In addition it is usual and necessary and/or desired to adjust, in a format-compatible manner, the format-dependent function elements that interact with the containers or sets, for example when there is a change in format. Said adjustment has been effected manually up to now by the operating personnel, the adjustments having to be performed manually at a plurality of adjusting positions.
In the case of conventional systems, as are used in the beverage industry, when there is a format adjustment or a format changeover, adjustments are necessary and/or desired at up to two hundred different adjusting positions, which implies a considerable amount of work and expenditure, for example whenever a plurality of containers or sets with a different format are to be handled on one and the same system. In many cases up to thirty different formats are treated on one system.
It must or should also be taken into account that for each format adjustment or format changeover—proceeding from the preceding setting of the format-dependent function elements—in each case changing function elements, that is to say other function elements, have to be adjusted to new REQUIRED values. In addition, it can also be necessary and/or desired to adjust the changed function elements to other setting values.
In addition, it must or should also be taken into account that in the case of many machines, for example in the case of packaging machines or packaging systems, when there is a format adjustment or a format changeover, a predetermined sequence of adjustments also has to or should be adhered to in order to avoid, restrict, and/or minimize incorrect adjustments and/or damage to the system or to its machines and/or to the function elements (for example guiding means).
Up to now the format adjustment or format changeover in a system has therefore required and/or desired, on account of the large number of adjusting positions, a large amount of work and time expenditure with the risk of a high error rate caused by incorrect adjustment. In addition, up to now the format adjustment or format changeover has also required and/or desired high cost expenditure, for example if the machine has had to be at a standstill for a long time during the adjustment.
Another cost factor frequently referred to is the so-called start-up losses, which are incurred when the system is restarted and the packaging means are damaged or destroyed due to incorrectly adjusted function elements.